Egg Size, Larval Development, and Juvenile Size in Benthic Marine Invertebrates

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Abstract
Vance''s (1973) model of reproductive efficiency of benthic invertebrates and Underwoods (1974) criticisms of it are examined. Variations in size at metamorphosis are discussed in relation to feeding habits, lecithotropy, extended feeding period, etc. in pagarid crabs, barnacles and Palaemonetes spp. Both Vance and Underwood expect the wrong sort of service from Vance''s model. Vance suggests that it should apply best to variation within species or among closely related ones. Even with this restriction it is still necessary to pick the right taxon, for the assumptions are unsuitable at any level in some taxa. Underwood implies that the model should be descriptive of the consequences and causes of shifts in egg size and increased lecithotrophy, but Vance''s model is valuable for its simplicity, not for its description of observed variations or of evolutionary events.